London mayor could receive more powers
More powers could be devolved to London mayor Ken Livingstone and the London Assembly, with the launch of a government review today.
The review, led by local government minister David Miliband and Jim Fitzpatrick, minister for London, will look at the powers and responsibilities of the London Assembly and the mayor.
Mr Miliband said he believed the time was right to consider whether regional government in London could be improved by “devolving more powers and responsibilities to the Greater London Authority (GLA)”.
The government believes the experiment of devolved government in London has proved successful, and the move could be seen as an attempt to revive the devolution agenda.
The review will look at the additional powers the GLA could take on and the implications of doing so.
A range of interested parties – including Mr Livingstone – will have a chance to comment before the government issues a consultation paper later this year, and a final package of proposals by spring 2006.
Mr Livingstone welcomed the review, saying: “If London is to sustain its position as the power house of the national economy, and offer the best deal for Londoners, then now is the time to bring more powers closer to the people of the capital.”
He added: “London is the most sustainable and dynamic of the world’s great capital cities, and this review offers the prospect of securing that position for Londoners and the wider UK.”
The move has also been welcomed by the Association of London Government, which represents the interests of local councils. But chairman Sir Robin Wales said a “wider review” of London government looking at the role of London boroughs would be more appropriate.
The government’s devolution agenda ground to a halt last year after a regional assembly in the north east of England was resoundingly rejected in a referendum in November 2004.
The GLA, comprising the mayor of London and London Assembly, was established by the Greater London Authority Act 1999.
